Town Hit With Class-action Lawsuit

WEST HARTFORD — A federal class-action suit has been filed against the town, contending that police brutalized hundreds of people during anti-abortion protests three years ago.

The suit was filed by Amnesty America, a Piermont, N.Y., group that works to protect the rights of nonviolent protesters, and several people who took part in protests at the Summit Women's Center on April 1, 1989, and June 17, 1989.

The suit claims that town police were brutal and used excessive force to remove and arrest more than 300 protesters who had occupied the clinic and the surrounding grounds.

Several suits arising from the protests have been filed against the town, but this suit is the first one filed on behalf of all the people who were arrested. The suit asks for an unspecified amount in damages.

Corporation Counsel Marjorie S. Wilder described the suit, which was filed in U.S. District Court in Hartford last Friday, as frivolous and said that videotapes of the incidents show that police acted appropriately.

Police Chief James J. Strillacci, who was not chief when the protests occurred, said police are allowed to use force to remove people who are breaking the law.

"We gave them every opportunity to leave, but they didn't," Strillacci said. "We had to take them out; so we used holds that would persuade them to leave. The law allows us that."

But Richard Bruno, head of Amnesty America, said Thursday that police used torture holds even on people who had agreed to cooperate and leave the clinic.

Bruno, who was one of the people arrested, said some people suffered broken bones